A 363: Relates to the eligibility for awards for victims of a crime; includes the commission of suicide within two years after being a victim of a crime as a death that is the direct result of a crime.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 363 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BARRETT -- read once and referred to the Commit- tee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to eligibility for awards for victims of a crime The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraphs (i) and (j) of subdivision 1 of section 624 of 2 the executive law, paragraph (i) as amended by section 9 of part A-1 of 3 chapter 56 of the laws of 2010 and paragraph (j) as amended by chapter 4 427 of the laws of 1999, are amended to read as follows: 5 (i) a surviving spouse of a crime victim who died from causes not 6 directly related to the crime when such victim died prior to filing a 7 claim with the office or subsequent to filing a claim but prior to the 8 rendering of a decision by the office. Such award shall be limited to 9 out-of-pocket loss incurred as a direct result of the crime; [and] 10 (j) a spouse, child or stepchild of a victim of a crime who has 11 sustained personal physical injury as a direct result of a crime[.]; and 12 § 2. Section 624 of the executive law is amended by adding a new 13 subdivision 3 to read as follows: 14 3. For the purposes of this article, a victim of a crime who commits 15 suicide within two years after such crime shall be deemed to have died 16 as a direct result of such crime, unless the office determines that the 17 suicide was not in any way a result of being the victim of such crime. 18 § 3. Subdivision 5 of section 631 of the executive law is amended by 19 adding a new paragraph (h) to read as follows: 20 (h) Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of this article, the 21 office shall disregard the responsibility of the victim for the victim's 22 own injury where the record shows that the victim committed suicide 23 within two years after such crime, unless the office determines that the 24 suicide was not in any way a result of being the victim of such crime. 25 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00300-01-5